


mismatched

by DesertLily



Series: Mechtober [6]
Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Cooking, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Magnets, Mechtober, Sewing, Sharing Clothes, The Mechanisms as a family, The Toy Soldier gives excellent hugs, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:27:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27087853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily/pseuds/DesertLily
Summary: The Mechanisms were by no means a normal family, but that wouldn’t stop them loving each other in their own way.
Relationships: The Aurora/Nastya Rasputina, The Mechanisms Ensemble & The Mechanisms Ensemble
Series: Mechtober [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950613
Comments: 6
Kudos: 68





	mismatched

**Author's Note:**

> For the 'domestic mechs' prompt for Mechtober!

Nobody got to choose their blood relatives, but everybody got to choose who they called family. Some may claim family starts in blood but it does not end there. And as much as the Mechanism seemingly  _ adored _ spilling each other's blood, that was not the reason they declared themselves a family. It was partially involuntary. Doctor Carmilla had created them to be her children; to be a family. After her ‘tragic demise’, they fought the label of family for a long time. They didn’t want to be what she wanted them to be. But...When you spend millenia with people, it’s hard not to call them your family. Impossible, even. 

Though, it wasn’t something they ever said out loud. They just showed it in their own unconventional ways. None of them had much sense of normality, anyways. Normality was boring and that was something none of them strived to be (excluding when Brian was in MJE). If there was any easy option for anything, all of them actively did their best to avoid it. After all if they didn’t have to put at least  _ some _ effort into things, then what the fuck was the point? So each came up with their own way of saying ‘I love you’; of saying that they cared. 

Jonny d’Ville claimed he hated physical affection but Jonny d’Ville was a fucking liar. Not that that news was a surprise to anyone that knew him well. It was like saying water is wet or that grass is green. But those closest to him had long since realised that pointing out when Jonny was wrong usually ended up with you dead before you could even finish the statement. So no one called him out when he grumbled about being hugged or threatened to throw them out of the airlock for it.  But he still had his own way of showing he cared. It was nothing spectacular. Almost mundane - especially by Jonny’s standards. But he sewed. He fixed the holes in their clothes, restitched over any frayed edges, and even made things for the others. At first he had claimed it was out of ‘practically’. He couldn’t have his crew going around looking scruffy, after all! Ashes had called him out on the lie in approximately five minutes. He hadn’t brought it up since. Though, deep down, he thought it might not be entirely terrible to care about people.

Nastya showed her affection through theft. It was no secret that she was  _ constantly _ cold. It was one of the many downsides to having mercury pumping through her veins; there were very few things that could keep her comfortable and warm. It was why Aurora’s engine rooms became such a safe haven for her. They made her feel warm; safe. But she couldn’t stay there forever, and she did occasionally have to give up her coat for cleaning - which left her with the dire need of something warm to wear. So Nastya did the logical thing; she stole clothes from her siblings (and they were her siblings). They were always just that little bit too big for her, meaning she could scrunch the end of the sleeves over her hands. Her favourite items were one of Ashes’s shirts or an absolutely horrifying jumper Marius had bought at some point. They were warm and comfortable, and neither had complained about her stealing them. Though, Nastya had a sneaking suspicion that Marius had bought the jumper with the expectation that she would steal it. And naturally, her wardrobe was full of a multitude of Jonny’s clothes. He was the only one of them that could be considered ‘older’ than her so she did her duty of being an ‘annoying little sister’ well on occasion. 

Ashes was the only one of them capable of being direct with affection. After spending so long as a crime boss, they knew that it was better to say what they meant straight out or hide it behind threats. So that became their so-called love language. Mild threats. Though, they weren’t entirely sure how much ‘Get some fucking sleep before I blow your brains out and make you’ counted as threat. It was more concern than anything. They were the quartermaster. It was their job to  _ know _ the crew; to look after them. So they did. Ashes scolded and threatened and just made sure everyone got their shit together. Because they were their family and Ashes refused to watch their family suffer. 

Brian was tired. Constantly. Just exhausted. Partially due to the weight of immortality and partially due to dealing with the abundance of idiots he liked to call his family. They were easy enough to deal with when he was one EJM (it at least allowed him to shoot them). But when he was on MJE? He was stuck dealing with their shenanigans. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t do his best to be there for them when they needed him. If someone needed to talk or vent or just...needed somewhere quiet, they always found their way to the bridge. If he was on MJE, he couldn’t just shoot them to get them to leave him alone (not that he would anyways). If they came to him like that; offered the chance for him to see them vulnerable then he wouldn’t misplace their trust. He would listen. After all, it wasn’t as if he had anywhere else to be. Besides, listening to his family was infinitely better than the droning of blind-sighted mortals on Camelot. 

Ivy’s chosen form of affection was books. Not that that really surprised anyone. All forms of text and knowledge were her passion, but it was books especially she adored. They way they felt as she turned each page, taking in each and every word as she saw it. It was why she loved her ‘role’ as an archivist so much. Every time she was planetside, she would get as many new books as she could carry. But there were always some she would pick out carefully. Books that reminded her of the others. Perhaps a new science book for Raphaella, the Harry Potter series for Ashes (they always had a lot of fun burning those books), or a fantasy novel for Jonny - even if he would never openly admit he enjoyed them. But it was her way of showing she cared. Books were her second greatest love in life. Her first was her family. 

Tim was scared to show he cared. It was a foolish fear but one he had carried since the moment he had watched Bertie die in utter agony. Bertie had been his best friend; the constant presence in his life throughout the entirety of the war. Losing him had destroyed everything he used to be and left Gunpowder Tim behind. It had filled him with anger and distrust. If  _ Bertie _ of all people had left him, why wouldn’t the others too? Sure, they were ‘immortal’ but there was always the chance of them dying one day and not getting back up! Perhaps that’s why Tim showed his affection by killing for them. There were many that fell to Gunpowder Tim before they even had the chance to fully draw their weapon. Some still got a few shots in but Tim was fast.  _ He had blown up the moon _ . Nothing could stop him. It was different than when he and Jonny shot each other. This was some outside daring to hurt his family and he would  _ not _ stand for it. 

Raphaella adored magnets. They were such simple things, really. Nothing that could be described as ‘incredible’ but they still brought her joy. Not quite as much joy as her experiments but there was always a fond smile on her face whenever she saw them around her lip. There was also the  _ wonderful _ discovery that they stuck to her wings, allowing her the occasional moment of silliness as she decorated them. 

Magnets were practically a universal concept - meaning she could add to her collection every time they visited a new planet! But not all the magnets were for her. There were some that reminded her of the others and it would be quite rude not to pick them up! Especially seeing as her family deserved a treat every now and then. So she began to pick up ones with designs that reminded her of them all. She had even managed to pick up a few with Tim and Brian’s names on! (Something that the rest of the crew had partially sulked about). They came in every shape and size but she always made sure to get one for everyone - even the Aurora! There was an entire wall of the starship proudly displaying the gifts Raphaella had given her. The others may not have displayed them so openly but they still treasured them. 

Marius liked to cook. It was soothing to him. Whilst none of them technically  _ had _ to eat to survive, there was a certain joy that food could bring. So he watched the crew carefully whenever they landed. He watched what foods they were drawn towards and which ones they positively detested. He watched for flavour combinations each of them were particularly fond of, and simply...taught himself to make them. It was by far a case of trial and error (with the error ending up with more than a few shots to his head). But when he perfected something? Well, even the smallest of smiles on one of the others’ faces was more than enough. Whether it was the Cyberian stew Nastya liked on occasion or fuelling Raphaella’s sweet tooth, he happily cooked away for them all. They all deserved to eat things they enjoyed. However, that didn’t stop him from poisoning the soup one evening when Jonny suggested he take up a position as the ship’s cook instead of doctor. 

The Toy Soldier liked hugging its family and for the most part, they seemed to like hugging it back. Affection had been something it had originally assumed was  _ expected _ of it. After all, that had once been its purpose; to fill the purpose of a lost lover. It was meant to pretend to be something it wasn’t! Only...the Mechanisms never seemed to want it to be anything different. No matter how many times it was shot or thrown out the airlock, they all seemed to love it for itself. It was a...sincere love. Unlike any it had experienced before. This love wasn’t selfish or romantic or manipulative, it was warm. It was gentle almost. That was why the Toy Soldier was always eager to hug them all as much as it could. Each hug was a thank you for loving it; for caring about it. When it was hugging one of the others, the Toy Soldier allowed itself to have a few brief moments of feeling real. 

The Aurora had a...unique relationship with affection. She couldn’t quite be as physical as some of the other crew members were. Though, she did have a  _ certain physicality _ that was reserved exclusively for Nastya. She adored her girlfriend dearly but that did not mean she didn’t love the others in her own way. She showed it perhaps more...carefully than most. It was small simple things. Encouraging messages on the many screens inside of her whenever someone seemed down. Terrible jokes and banter in order to get a smile out of someone. Changing the lights and the heat inside certain rooms to try and lull one of them back to sleep whenever the Mechanisms had a nightmare. They were a regular occurrence. Aurora had been partially fond of Doctor Carmilla’s company once, but seeing the effect the woman had on her family? That fondness had long since disappeared. So now she was there for her crew when they needed her. Vibrating slightly whenever one of them rested a hand against one of her walls, reminding them she was there; reminding them she was home. 

They were all mismatched; a mixture of broken parts and metal. Not a single one of them were perfect. But they had each other. They had unity in their imperfections. They had a family. Even if they never expressed it directly, none of them ever truly doubted how much the others cared. They were a family in the most dysfunctional sense possible. 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are always appreciated! Or hmu @ desert-lily on tumblr


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